NEWS OF THE DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 152, 29 June 1944, Page 4

NEWS OF THE DAY

Pay-As-You-Go Taxation In a poll taken on the question of pay-as-you-go income tax by the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce 189 members voted in favour and 32 against. Referring to the unsatisfactory nature of the replies so far received on the subject from Ministers, a bulletin issued by the chamber states that the chambers of commerce, at this stage, are asking only for a complete examination of the method in its application to New Zealand. Dramatic Talent That dramatic talent is not lacking in the suburban areas is shown by the recent formation of the Fapatoetoe Repertory Theatre. This group of young people has completed its premiere season, ana last Saturday evening its first production was wound up by a social evening. Drama and associated stage work is often overlooked as an important recreation for young people as well as old, but the enthusiasm that has been shown by the members of the Papatoetoe movement and its audiences is proof of its popularity. Saving Electricity? While the public is frequently asked to conserve electricity by switching off as many appliances as possible during peak hours and when the radio stations go off the air between 8.15 and 8.45 a.m. and from 5.15 to 5.45 p.m., from Mondays to Fridays, it appears at times that more could be done to conserve electricity on the trams. Passengers in a city-bound tram shortly after 8.30 this morning noticed that the headlights and all lights inside the car were burning during the trip into Queen Street. Both the motorman and the conductress appeared unconcerned about the wastage. Safety Test for Firemen An experiment which proves that a fireman can play a hose on live electric wires without receiving a shock was carried out in Invercargill. it was the first time that such a test had been made in New Zealand, and its purpose was to show that firemen had nothing to fear when they played hoses on live wires The crux of the test was that before the stream of water reached the live wires it was not solid, as it was when it left the nozzle of the hose, but was broken mto partides with sir between. xP" man, therefore, had to see that he was far enough away to allow the solid jet of water to break before it reached the live wire.

Substitute for Cups Writing from the Middle East, a member of a nursing staff said that nurses were amused on reading in a West Coast paper that certain nurses were protesting against their being required to use bakelite cups. "And to think that here we are using broken down beer bottles for cups, and have to line up in queues to get them," added the nurse. A Pet Kiwi The kiwi discovered in a Gisborne garden at the beginning of the week has been liberated in Grey's Bush, about five miles from Gisborne. The kiwi, which has caused considerable interest among ornithologists, is of the North Island species and has slatish grey feathers mottled with black. Healthy and well fed, it had been in the possession of a resident of Stanley Road since she received it from her husband about three months ago. Close neighbours were unaware of the bird's existence. Apparently it had been brought from the bush as a chick. I Lost and Found The sudden stopping of a tram between safety zones in Queen Street this morning gave rise to speculation among passengers. The motorman was seen to leave the car and pick up from the roadway a large bundle of washing. It was not a case of tram men living by taking in each other's washing, for the bundle had evidently fallen from a laundry van. As the tram neared the bottom of Queen Street a laundry van drew alongside the car and there was some signalling between the driver and the motorman. At a safety zone the bundle was transferred from tram to van, and with a relieved look the laundryman drove away. Quarrymen Born, Not Made "How long would it take to train a man to become a quarryman?" a quarry owner was asked during the hearing of an appeal before the Auckland Industrial Manpower Committee this morning. The reply was that a man could not be trained for the work unless he was born with a capacity for it. The quarry owner paid a tribute to Dalmatians as quarrymen. A Dalmatian could pick up a stone and crack it without apparent effort, whereas another man might crack at it all day and produce nothing but a " cannonball." " I happen to know something about it," remarked the chairman, Mr. H. Campbell. " I worked in a quarry for some time and produced ' cannonballs.' "